Their discussion is the third episode of The Big Conversation, a unique online video series from the Unbelievable? faith debate show. The two well-known media figures address the increase in people in the West who identify as ‘nones’ (having no religious commitments) and where they can find meaning. Derren Brown draws on his recent book Happy: Why more or less everything is absolutely fine to promote a Stoic approach to finding contentment while Rev Richard Coles draws on his own conversion experience of “meeting the resurrected Christ” as a “life changing” moment.

Brown, who requested Coles as his discussion partner having met each other before, has seen his own journey of faith go in the opposite direction to the TV Vicar. The illusionist lost his Christian faith as a young adult and became an atheist following his entry into the world of magic performance. In contrast Richard Coles, after a successful and hedonistic pop star career in the 1980s, converted from atheism to Christianity through a profound religious experience which led to him becoming an Anglican priest.

Their conversation reflects these opposing positions. When asked by host Justin Brierley if he had an existential crisis after abandoning his Christian faith as a young man, Derren Brown says, “I had one moment waking up feeling down, and had that moment of realising that I don’t have that…

Premier learned on Friday how one member of the Church’s governing body – General Synod – intended to table a motion calling for a pause in proceedings, hours before kick-off at the Samara Stadium in Russia.

Canon Jonathan Alderton-Ford said he suspected General Synod seminars coinciding with the match on Saturday afternoon would be “very lightly attended”.

Nearly 480 members – including bishops, clergy and lay people – are attending the five-day summit in York.

The minister in charge of Bury St Edmunds Christ Church said he planned to ask leaders, “could we have a variation of business to allow us to participate in this historic and significant spiritual event?”

Pressed on why the game was a “spiritual event”, he answered that there was a “sad” phenomena of the outcome of World Cup matches impacting people’s “wellbeing”.

Manager Gareth Southgate has been preparing his squad for the most important World Cup fixture for England since the 2006 World Cup.

General Synod February 2018

Items on the agenda for the General Synod meeting include how the Church has responded to abuse allegations made against clergy, and how relationships between the Church and black-majority churches might be strengthened.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Church in London is urging members of its congregation to bring friends to a screening of Saturday’s knock out clash.

Rector, Rev…

He passed away on Friday, 6th July after a battle with illness.

In a statement, the church said: “Pastor Michael was a visionary leader who led New Wine Church with tremendous grace, passion, integrity and above all a strong devotion to God and love for people.
He was also a wonderful husband to his wife, Ayo and exemplary father to his children.

“Whilst we mourn the passing of our beloved Pastor, we are assured that he is at home with Jesus, his Lord and Saviour whom he loved with all his heart and served with all his might. We are also confident that through the unceasing grace and power of God, the legacy and vision of a thriving church that he left with us will continue to grow and be a blessing to many more lives.

“New Wine Church and the family would like to express our gratitude to all well-wishers for your prayers and support and request that the privacy of the family are respected at this time.”

The church has said further information will be released in due course.

Pastor Michael took over the running of New Wine Church following the passing of founder Pastor Tayo Adeyemi in 2013.

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Speaking on BBC’s Ouch podcast with his daughters Katharine and Ellie, Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury said: “I haven’t prayed for Ellie.

“I haven’t talked to Ellie about this [but] we had this discussion once around the [family] table when Ellie wasn’t there, because someone had asked me the question.”

Turning to Ellie, he said: “Your younger sister said, ‘If God changed Ellie she wouldn’t be Ellie, and we love Ellie’. So there’s that thing that Ellie’s Ellie, she’s precious.”

Ellie added: “I have felt a bit like, well, if God heals, why am I still dyspraxic? Why do I still find it really difficult to do things? But at the same time it doesn’t change the way I trust God.”

Archbishop Justin revealed that while he doesn’t pray for Ellie to be healed from dyspraxia, he does pray for his daughter Katharine’s mental health problem “on a daily basis”.

Corin Piling deputy director of Christian disability charity Livability said Christians shouldn’t be quick to assume every person with a disability needs God to heal them.

He told Premier News Hour: “We may perceive someone who is living with a disability as somehow being imperfect, but actually their experience and their very creative nature is testament to the fact they are made in the image of God and I think that is something that is very important that we elevate.

“Everybody’s experience of disability is…